System of electrical distribution



T. W. VARLEY.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. m9.

Patented Nov. 2 1, 1922 Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. VABLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE SAFETY CAR HEATING&; LIGHTING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION.

Application filed September 6, 1919.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. VARLEY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedan Improvement in Systems of Electrical Distribution, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to systems of electrical distribution and moreparticularly to systems of the above nature especially adapted for usein lighting railway cars and the like. One of the objects thereof is toprovide a system of the above nature of simple arrangement which shallbe thoroughly dependable in action. Another object is to provide asystem of the above nature in which all parts are fully protectedagainst injury. Another object is to provide a system of the abovenature of a particularly durable character in which certain dominantparts are in action substantially only when action is required. Otherobjects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinfter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction.combinations of elements and arrangement'of parts which will beexemplified in the structure hereinafter described and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the following claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic plan of one of variouspossible embodiments of this invention. I

Referring now to this drawing in detail, there is shown at 1 a generatordriven at Variable speed from the car axle, provided with a shunt field2 having serially connected therewith a pile of carbon disks 3. Thispile is normally held undercompressmn as by the bell crank lever 4pivoted at 5 and urged toward the pile by the spring 6. Connected withthe free end of this lever is a core 4 which coacts with a solenoid 7 serially connected in the main conductor 8. The latter conductor leadsthrough an automatic switch 9 of the well known type and to a batterybranch or conductor 10 hereinafter referred to in detail. Continuingpast the battery branch, conductor 8 leads through a lamp switch 11 andthrough a lamp regulator comprising the carbon pile 12 controlled by thevoltage coil 13 bridged Serial No. 322,108.

across the lamps 14:. From the remaining terminal of the lamps, the main15 leads back to the remaining terminal of the gen erator.

Bridged across the generator terminals is a voltage coil 16 whichcontrols through a core 17 a lever 18. This lever is provided with anattracting spring 19 and with a set screw 20, and the parts are soproportioned that at a predetermined generator voltage indicating adesired state of charge of the battery, the lever 18 will be swungawayfrom its stop 21 and set screw will contact lever 1, thus acting toincrease the resistance of the carbon pile 3 and cut down the currentoutput to an extent required to protect the battery.

Considering now the battery branch 10, this conductor first leadsthrough an ampere hour meter 22, thence through the armature 23 of afree running motor 24. Atthis point the storage battery 25 is connectedin circuit, the remaining terminal of the battery branch being connectedto the main 15 at 26. Motor 24 is confined to one direction of rotationas by the ratchet mechanism 24 or equivalent devices.

A circuit is led from the main 8 at 27 to the movable contact 28 of theampere hour meter which makes connection at full battery charge with thestationary contact 29. From this point a conductor 30 leads through thefield 31 of the motor 24 and thence to the main 15.

Considering now the action of this apparatus, the generator 1 uponobtaining a sufficient speed, acts by its voltage to close the ordinaryautomatic switch 9. At this time, assuming the battery to be uncharged,charging current will flow through the battery branch, such currentbeing maintained substantially constant by the action of the arm 4controlled by the coil 7 If desired, lamps may be-turned on by theswitch 11 and the voltage on the lamps will be regulated in the ordinaryway by the lamp regulator hereinbefore described. As the chargeprogresses, the ampere hour meter and movable contact willgraduallytravel toward the tired contact 29 in the well known way. lVhenthe battery has reached the desired state of charge. the lever 18 willbe swung upwardly by the voltage coil 16 as hereinbefore described, andwill act to cut down the current. It may be noted that the expressioncut down is used in its ordinary sense as meaning to either stop ormaterially diminish the current in question. This action will tend toprotect the battery against over-charge. H

It may be noted that throughout the charge, the motor. 24.is inoperativeand its field is unexcited, and its armature afi'ords substantially noopposition to the flow of charging current. When however the bat teryhas become charged and contact 28 makes connection with the contact 29,the field 31 is immediately excited. The motor then, which is preferablyfree running, immediately starts and travels at such s eed that itscounter electromotive force'wil cut down the current flowingtherethrough. As a matter of fact, the flow of current which the motorwill permit under these conditions is only that required to supplyenergy for rotating its unloaded armature. The parts may be soarrangedthat this may re resent any desired value. The rotation wilcontinue as long as the ampere hour meter registers a fully chargedbattery and as long as charging current tends to flow into the bat-'tery; and the battery will thus have in the apparatus last described anadditional means of complete protection. Upon the battery becomingdischarged to any extent, the circuit through the field 31 is broken andthe motor 23 de-energized. If with the'lamps in use and the batterycharged, the train stop, the lamp load will be immediately andefiectively carried by the battery for the ratchet mechanism 24* willprevent rotation ,of the notor 24 in a reverse direction and itsarmature will not oppose flow of current from the battery to the lamps.

It will thus be seen that there is provided apparatus in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention andas various changes might be-made in the embodiment above set forth, itis to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustratiie and not in alimiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a system'of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator,a storage battery adapted to be charged thereby, a conductor adapted tolead charging current from said generator to said battery, means in saidconductor adapted'always to carry the charging current and adapted tocreate a counter electromotive force in said conductor and thereby cutdown the charging current, and means'adapted to bring said last meansinto action at a. certain state of charge of the battery.

2. In a system of electrical distribution,

in combination, a generator, a storage battery, conductors connectingsaid battery with said generator, current-opposing means permanently inthe branch conductor leading to said battery adapted normally to carrycharging current without substantial opposition and adapted uponoperation to cut stage of charge of the battery and thereby causing itsarmature to create a counter electromotive force in the chargingcircuit.

4. In a systemof electrical distribution, in combination, a generator, astorage battery, a circuit leading from said generator to said storagebattery, a normally idle dynamo having its armature connected directlyin said charging circuit to carry the charging current to said batteryand the rotation thereof unimpeded, an ampere hour meter, and meanscontrolled by said ampere hour meter adapted to render said dynamooperative upon said battery reaching a substantial state of charge. r

5. In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator,a storage battery, conductors adapted toconnect said battery with saidgenerator, an ampere hour meter connected in the branch conductorleading to said battery, afree-running motor having its armaturepermanently in said branch conductor, and means controlled by saidampere hour meter adapted to complete a circuit for the field winding ofsaid motor upon said battery becomingsubstantially charged.

6. In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator,a storage battery adapted to be charged thereby, an automatic switchcontrolling the connection of said generator and said battery, a motorhaving its armature connected with the charging circuitof said batteryand having its field circuit connected across said generator on the sideof said switch remote-from said batv tery, and means adapted to closethe circuit of said field winding at a certain stage of charge of thebattery. V

7. In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator,3, storage battery, conductors adapted to connect said battery with saidgenerator, an" ampere hour meter connected in the branch conductorleading to said battery, a free-running motor having its armature insaid branch conductor, -means controlled by said ampere hour meteradapted to complete a circuit for the field winding of said motor uponsaid battery becombination, a generator, a storage battery adapted to becharged thereby, a motor having its armature connected in the chargingcircuit of said battery and having its field' connected across saidgenerator, an automatic switch controlling the connection of saidgenerator with said battery, said motor field being connected at theside of said switch remote from said battery, voltageregulating meansfor said generator, and means adapted to bring into action said motor ata certain stage of charge of said battery by exciting its .field andthereby causing its armature to create a counter electromotive force inthe charging circuit.

9. In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator,a storage battery adapted to be charged thereby, a motor having itsarmature connected in the chargcircuit of said battery and having itsfie (1 connected across said generator,an automatic switch controllingthe connection of said generator with said battery, said motor fieldbeing connected at the side of said switch remote from said battery,voltageregulating means for said generator, and means adapted to bringinto action said motor at a certain'stage of charge of said battery byexciting its field and thereby causing its armature to create a counterelectromotive force in the charging circuit, said last means comprisingan ampere hour meter connected in the charging circuit.

10. In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator,a storage battery adapted to be charged thereby, a conductor adapted tolead charging current from said generator to said battery, a freerunningrotary armature'in said conductor, a field for said armature wherebysaid armature generates a counter electromotive force in said conductorand cuts down said charging current, means adapted to cause theexcitation of said field upon said battery becoming substantiallycharged, and means adapted to oppose rotation of said armature in areverse direction. 11. In a system ofelectrical distribution,- incomblnation, a generator, a storage battery, lamps, means adapted toconnect said 1 battery and said lamps with said generator in parallelwith one another, means in the branch conductor leading to said batteryadapted to create an electromotive force in opposition to the flowof'current in said conductor, means adapted to render said 0-p- 1riosing means operative when said battery as reached a substantial degreeof charge,

and means controlled by said generator for permitting saidlast-mentioned means to render said opposing means operative when saidgenerator is operating to charge said battery and for preventing saidlast-mentioned means from rendering said opposing means operative whensaid generator is inoperative and said battery furnishes current to saidlamps.

12; In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator.a. storage battery, lamps, means adapted to connect said battery andsaid lampswith said generator in parallel with one another. means in thebranch conductor leading to said battery adapted to create anelectromotive force in opposition to the flow of current in/ saidconductor, automatic means adapted to render said opposing meansoperative when said I battery has reached a substantial degree ofcharge, means controlled by said generator for permitting said automaticmeans to render said opposing means operative while said generator isoperating to charge said battery. and independent means operative by.

means adapted to close said circuit when said battery has reached apredetermined state of charge thereby to render said opposing meanseffective to cut down the current from said generator to said battery,and means under the control of the generator for rendering said fieldproducing circuit operable by said automatic means while said generatoris operativeand for rendering said circuit inoperable by said automaticmeans while said battery supplies current to said lamps and saidgenerator is inoperative.

14. In a system of electrical distribution, in combination, a generator.a storage battery, lamps, means adapted to connect said battery and saidlamps with said generator in parallel with one another, means in thebranch conductor leading to said battery adapted to create anelectromotive force in opposition to the fiow of current in saidconductor, said opposing means being dependent for its operation upon amagnetic field, an electric circuit for producing a magnetic fieldforvsaid opposing means, automatic :means adapted to close said circuitwhen said field for said opposing means, automatic battery has reached apredetermined state of charge thereby to render said opposing meansefiective to cut down the current from said generator to said battery,and means under the control 'of the generator for rendering said fieldproducing circuit operable by said automatic means While said generatoris operative to charge sald battery, and

THOMAS W. VARLEY.

